Exploring the World of Craft Meat
Happy turkeys for a happy Thanksgiving
October 11th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 10,144 times • 2 min read
UPDATE: Our Turkey Sale is live! Get yours now! Limited supply and limited time offer! On Sunday, October 15th at 8:00am PST, our Thanksgiving Presale of pasture-raised turkeys from Gunthorp Farms goes live! We expect to run out of turkeys quickly, so you'll want to claim yours before they're all gobbled up (sorry, couldn't resist). The turkeys will ship to your door in time for Thanksgiving. Each year, Greg and Lei Gunthorp raise...
Delmonico's, the oldest steakhouse in America, on the future of beef
October 6th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 10,344 times • 2 min read
With the suburban ubiquity of steakhouse chains like Longhorn Steakhouse, Texas Roadhouse, and Outback, you’d think the steakhouse restaurant had been a fixture of the American food scene since the Mayflower bumped up against the rocky New England coastline four centuries ago. But it wasn't until 1837 that America's first steakhouse, Delmonico’s, opened its doors. And not only was Delmonico's the first American steakhouse, the classic...
Cottonwood Ranch is producing craft beef (with the help of craft beer)
October 3rd, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 3,697 times • 1 min read
At Port City Brewing Co. in Alexandria, Virginia, huge amounts of barley are turned into delectable, malty brews each week. But did you know that fermenty, delicious beer isn't the only thing you end up with when you produce beer? The other element that gets produced when you make beer is brewer's mash, or what's sometimes in the industry called "spent grain." (Read: Used up. No good. Waste.) But in recent years, craft breweries have started...
Farmers "Uncle Bob" & Kate Boyce share their secret recipe for mock tenders
October 3rd, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 3,410 times • 1 min read
In Central Pennsylvania near the town of Carlisle, there's a family farm called Lil' Ponderosa where "Uncle Bob" and "Aunt Kate," as they're known to all their friends, raise Black Angus cows on grass pasture (with no chemicals, no pesticides, hormones, or nothin'). Uncle Bob works outside all day, moving his cattle, mending fences, ascertaining the health of the grasses, and generally being an expert at what he does. (He's also been known to...
A stroll through Thistle Creek Farm
September 29th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 5,385 times • 1 min read
If you visit Thistle Creek Farm in Tyrone, Pennsylvania like I did a few days ago, you'll wind up learning a lot about cows, soil microbial populations, and the local iron-forging history, all courtesy of ranchers George and Christy Lake. First, George will introduce you to his world-famous herd dogs, who have been featured on A&E for their talents. Especially dear to George is Mack, who, though he's getting up in years, is still known to...
Brisket saga Part 1: Meathead Goldwyn on ensuring brisket success
September 19th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 6,150 times • 1 min read
Part 1 of the brisket adventure upon which this writer is embarking. Fall has arrived with a wet vengeance in Seattle, and with the cooler temperatures comes a hankering for brisket. (Don't you feel it in your bones?) I've had brisket on the mind for months, because while this writer has prepared many cuts in her day, brisket isn't one of them. So I've set aside an upcoming Saturday that will be fully dedicated to preparing brisket (and which...
The Founder of Beecher's Cheese thinks beef is the next craft food
September 13th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 7,758 times • 3 min read
Beer. Coffee. Chocolate. Cheese. These keystones of the craft food revolution have given us some of the most easily-recognized emblems of craft, from armies of microbreweries to rainforest-certified cacao truffles to a widespread ability to distinguish Arabica from Robusta. Now Seattle's king of craft food, Kurt Beecher Dammeier, thinks beef is the next food in line for a craft transformation. (One of the photos I snapped of Mishima Reserve...
Introducing Wagyu-Angus cross: Like Prime steaks, elevated
September 12th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 19,461 times • 1 min read
We’re venturing deeper into the world of Wagyu, offering more levels and special varieties of this uniquely marbled type of beef. To date, we’ve offered A5 Wagyu direct from Japan, raised in the traditional style; fullblood Wagyu raised in America and finished on grain; purebred Wagyu raised 100% on San Juan Islands pasture, eating an exclusively grass diet; and today, for the first time ever, we’re offering Wagyu-Angus cross raised by one of...
Dahlia Lounge's head chef dishes up 2 favorite summer steak recipes
September 6th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 7,109 times • 1 min read
Seattle's star chef Brock Johnson is the executive chef at Dahlia Lounge, the seasons-centric Pacific Northwest restaurant icon. He recently revealed to us his two favorite summer steak dinners, which both take full advantage of what summer in the PNW has to offer. Image credit to Dahlia Lounge 1. He calls the first one “The birthday steak” because every year when he celebrates his birthday in mid-August, Chef Brock Johnson marks the occasion...
We asked customers and ranchers how they like their burgers
August 30th, 2017 by Joe Heitzeberg • Read 3,179 times • 1 min read
This should give you something to ponder over Labor Day Weekend. Dare we even say it might help inform your burger endeavors? First, we asked some of our partner ranchers to paint us a picture of their perfect burger meal, complete with preferred cheese and optimal side dish. Becky Harlow Weed, Harlow Cattle Company, Spanaway, WA Becky Harlow Weed, the one-woman-show owner-operator of Harlow Cattle Company in Spanaway, Washington, likes her...
